The Government faces intense social and political pressure to make progress on housing in the early months of this year. There are enough developments in the pipeline to keep completions at existing – if still inadequate – levels for much of this year, but thereafter there is a serious risk that they will again start to decline.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has signalled that the Cabinet will consider a range of measures, with a particular focus on getting projects already started to completion and accelerating the development of some 70,000 homes for which planning permission has been granted. As well as this, longer term measures, including a reform of the planning rules, are also in prospect.
The Government is already deeply involved in the housing market and further initiatives need to be carefully planned. Above all, the spending of State money – either directly or via some kind of additional incentives – needs to be targeted at delivering the kind of housing which fits in with wider environmental and spatial development plans. In some cases this will mean new apartments, where viability issues linked to higher interest rates and rising costs threaten to stall development. But there seems also to be a recognition that so-called denser development should also include other types of properties – essentially, smaller units with their own front doors.
Marrying additional incentives and State supports with the required types of development is not straightforward, but it must be done. The risk is that in trying to get housing completions up, the Government throws money at the problem without sufficient targeting, via direct spending and tax breaks. The other requirement is to get the official system moving more quickly. This requires much more efficient interaction between Government departments, local authorities and other agencies. Proper resourcing of the local authority, planning and legal system are also vital.
There are no quick answers to the housing crisis. But well-judged policy, with energy and focus in implementation, can make a difference.